Survey: 64% of childhood sexual abuse survivors in Latvia receive no support for aftereffects
A new report by Protect Children and Centrs Dardedze, based on 734 Latvian-speaking survey respondents, finds most survivors of childhood sexual abuse suffer long-term effects but often get no help even after disclosing what happened.
The Finnish organization Protect Children, working with the Latvian NGO Centrs Dardedze, has published a new report based on responses from 734 Latvian-speaking participants in the international "Our Voice" survey. Respondents, who experienced sexual abuse as children, answered the survey between July 17, 2024, and August 2, 2026.
Long-term effects and lack of support
According to the data, 82% of respondents said the childhood sexual abuse they experienced caused long-term effects, with those affected naming an average of nearly four different types of consequences. The most commonly reported were anxiety and panic attacks, sexual dysfunction, difficulty forming and maintaining personal relationships, and depression, alongside somatic symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and self-harming behavior.
Overall, 64% of respondents said they had not received support to help them cope with the abuse's aftereffects. Even more strikingly, 60% said they received no help or support after they had actually told someone about what happened to them.
Years of silence
Of all respondents, 70% had told someone about the abuse they experienced as children, while 30% had never disclosed it to anyone. Among those who did disclose, 60% did so more than ten years after the abuse occurred, and 31% waited 21 years or longer. Only 11% told someone immediately after the abuse.
Shame was the most commonly cited reason for not disclosing sooner, named by 59% of respondents. A lack of courage was cited by 34%, and 29% said they didn't believe disclosing would help. Survivors most often confided in a friend, partner, parent, or therapist, and far less often reported the abuse to police, teachers, healthcare professionals, or social workers.
The report's authors call for improving prevention and support systems based on survivors' needs and experiences, including long-term assistance and safer conditions for disclosure and justice. The findings were presented at Centrs Dardedze's annual conference on preventing child sexual abuse. Of respondents, 97% were women, 2% men, and 1% non-binary; the results reflect this specific surveyed group's experience rather than the overall prevalence of child sexual abuse.
